The thing is about 20 years ago I toured a preserved colonial town in New England (I forget the name, it was in Virginia) and there was a book on display which was an inpatient log for a mental ward. And some of the entries’ reason for admission was “masterbation”.
By the way, New England is specifically the northeast states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island! Virginia was one of the English colonies but isn’t part of New England.
Pretty sure in the 1700’s if they though you were cuckoo, they just strung you up from a tree
Probably that, too.
The thing is about 20 years ago I toured a preserved colonial town in New England (I forget the name, it was in Virginia) and there was a book on display which was an inpatient log for a mental ward. And some of the entries’ reason for admission was “masterbation”.
By the way, New England is specifically the northeast states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island! Virginia was one of the English colonies but isn’t part of New England.
Huh. TIL.
Why is that?
Because they were only engl-ish
It’s the name John Smith gave the area when he landed there that was later adopted by Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony who rode over on the Mayflower.
Cool. I thought “New England” meant the original thirteen colonies. But I’m from the Midwest, so what do I know? ;)
Colonial Williamsburg?
Good question, not sure. I don’t even remember what was nearby.
looks at some pictures
Could be, but then all English towns looked the same back then. I don’t remember any buildings quite that big though.
If it was Virginia, it was either Jamestown or Williamsburg most likely.
Bedlam Hospital opened in 1330.
Depends. If you were crazy and they thought you were harmful, then probably yes. They also had sanitariums.
It was also not densely populated. It was pretty easy to simply banish someone and they would just fuck off to be on their own.